Pasture is a bustling metropolis made of plants of grass, clovers, herbs, weeds and bare ground.

This myriad of plants is made different from most other plants by the fact they regrow rapidly after grazing and cutting.

Grazing management can alter the proportions of these plants.

Your paddocks are generally home to a whole eco system containing insects, slugs, bacteria and fungi that feed on living plants and dead matter, and even animal droppings.

Plants, including grasses, start off as small seedlings and spread by branching. 

These branches are called tillers in grass – leafy shoots growing from buds near the plant base.  To get top quality feed it is vital to encourage tillering by regular controlled defoliation by grazing or cutting for silage or hay.

Once established, pasture plants remain leafy until warmer temperatures and longer days induce them to flower.  The plants’ nutritive value decreases once seed heads appear to help protect the plant from grazing so they can reproduce.

Annual plants die off once seeds are produced, while perennials resume vegetative growth until the next year. 

What your stock needs from pasture will vary over the season.  While reproducing and lactating animals will need high quality feed nutrients. 

Lower quality feed will be sufficient when stock is not lactating, mature or when putting on excessive fat.

Just like us, farm animals have well-developed taste and smell and don’t like to eat pasture contaminated by dung and urine, particularly their own.

Sheep and horses are selective and usually graze the most palatable plants (especially clover) before other species.  

Fibre is a natural choice for most ruminants – cattle, sheep, goats as well as modified ruminants like llamas and alpacas, and horses.

Cellulose, a major carbohydrate in plants that humans cannot digest, can be eaten by animals.

Plants also have a fibrous carbohydrate called lignin, which is too tough for even farm livestock to digest so they pass it through their systems.

Grasses, such as ryegrass and cocksfoot, are bulky food and are high in fibre when flowering. Legumes, like clovers and lotus, have three times the protein content of grasses. 

Grazing herbs, such as chicory and plantain, offer essential minerals and even medicinal properties.  Trees and shrubs can offer shade and feed in hot, dry summers and pinch periods.